Box



Feb. 3, 1942. v D, wElNER' 2,271,962

BOX

Filed May 21, 1940 2 David Wedner Patented Feb. 3, 1942 UNITED STATES ATENT BOX David Weiner, New York, N. Y. Application May 21, 1940, Serial No. 336,376

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to means for preventing unintended collapse, partial collapse, or crushing, of knockdown boxes of cardboard or other relatively frail material, such, for instance, as flower boxes and hat boxes.

Boxes such as mentioned are made collapsible in order that they may be stored, packed and transported compactly and in quantity in collapsed condition, to be opened or set up only as and when needed as holders of flowers, hats, or other articles. In such boxes the bottom part is foldable against the side walls; and in one style of such box, the bottom is divided by a crease line, so that one part thereof may ,be folded against another part thereof, and the walls folded against the folded bottom. A type of such box is shown'in U. S. Letters Patent to R. Berkowitz, No. 1,555,054, dated September 29, 1925.

Collapsible boxes of cardboard or the like are commonly so designed as to be snapped into the set up state, and to have a certain amount of rigidity against unintentional collapse when so set up. A tie string and a rigid cover having a depending flange embracing the walls of the box will generally sufiice to permit of ordinary handling of the boxand its contents without collapse of the box. In some shapes and in some uses, however, the box is inherently less rigid than in other shapes and uses. 7

For instance, a flower box is usually of greater length than width, and if it has a bottom divided lengthwise into two parts foldable upon each other, pressure on the lower parts of the opposed side walls may cause the bottom to fold and the box to collapse, thus crushing or injuring any flowers within the same. Hats and delicate materials in other collapsible boxes may be destroyed or injured in the same way.

In carrying such a box, one is prone to tuck the same under his arm and at times to grip it with considerable force, or may knock it against some obstruction. Under such circumstances collapse of the box may take place. Careless stacking or packing of loaded boxes may have the same result. Various other styles of boxes to which the present invention may be applied, have heretofore also been subject to collapsefrom the same and other causes.

It is an object of the invention to provide means which on setting up of the box may be brought to such position within the box as to brace the lower parts of the opposed side walls against displacement toward one another under the force of external pressure.

A further object of the invention is a means forming part of the box structure which, as the box is set up, comes to position across and against the several parts of the box bottom, thereafter rigidly holding such parts down in their proper common plane against any pressure which might otherwise tend to fold one upon the other.

In the preferred form of the invention, the brace is a card of fibreboard, or other tough and strong material, pasted or by stitches or otherwise secured to one of the parts of the box bottom, and protruding therefrom in such manner that as the box is set up, such protruding part of the brace is brought down against the other part of the box bottom and extends across the latter into frictional abutment with the wall to which such other part is hinged.

It will be obvious, however, that the brace may be mounted on any element of the box, the movement of which, in the set up of the box, will cause the brace to move into position as a bridge between walls of the box at opposite sides thereof.

The above and other objects and features of the invention will more fully and clearly appear in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig 1 is a view in perspective looking into the opened body of a box embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a view in perspective of the box body of Fig. 1 in a collapsed state of the same.

Fig. 3 is a view in cross section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1, through the box body and also through the cover therefor.

Fig. 4 is a view in cross section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

In the drawing the invention is shown as embodied in a box of the character shown in U. S. Letters Patent to R. Berkowitz, No. 1,555,054, granted September 29,. 1925. The box comprises 'a bottom l0 having opposed side walls II and I2 hingably connected thereto along horizontal edge lines I3 and I4.

There are four other walls I5, l6, li and 18 .not directly connected to the bottom. Two of these 15 and I6 at one end of the box are hingably connected to each other along vertical edge line l9; Wall [5 also hingably connects to side wall II at vertical edge line 20; and wall It to side wall 12 at vertical edge line 2|. Similarly, at the other end of the box, walls I! and I8 are hingably connected to one another at vertical edge line 22, and to side walls, and I2 at vertical edge lines 211 and 24, respectively.

Four triangular web pieces 25, 26, 21 and 28 hingably connect the lower horizontal edges of the end walls l5, I6, I1 and Hi to the correspond- OFFICE ing edges of the bottom'piece I II. Each of the webs 25, 26, 21 and 28 is foldable on itself at intermediate crease lines 29, and is thus in efiect in two parts, one of which parts is pasted flat against or otherwise secured to the inside face of the corresponding end wall.

The bottom I is bisected one to another of opposed corners thereof by a crease or fold line 30, see Fig. 4, so that the two parts 3I and 32 of the bottom may be folded up at the hinge lines I3 and I4, and brought flatly against each other. In this movement of the bottom pieces 3I and 32, the side walls II and I2 come together, see Figs. 2 and 4, and the end walls I5, I6, I! and I8 swing on hinge lines I9, 2I, 24, 22, 23, and 20, Into the planes of the side walls II and I2; 50 that, in the collapsed condition of the box, the same is substantially flat.

The swing of the walls I5, I 6, I1 and I8 from Fig. 1 to Fig. 2 position, and vice versa, is permitted by the webs 25, 26, 21 and 28 which, during this swing, themselves open from Fig. 1

double ply condition to a single ply condition in functioning from that ofBerkowitz. it is to be 7 understood, therefore, that the showing of the the invention in connection with the Berkowitz sructure is merely for purposes of illustration.

In Fig. 3 there is shown a cover 33 for the box. The cover may consist of a single unfoldable, flat piece 34 having a depending peripheral flange 35 which embraces snugly the side and end walls of the box body and is continuous around the box body. In the cover as shown, no part of the same is foldable with respect to any other part thereof. It is shown as a rigid structure which, by embracing all walls of the box body, braces and holds the upper part of the latter in its open, hexagonal shape. So far as the present invention is concerned, however, the box cover may be made quite otherwise, or might even be omitted when not wanted; and, of course the box body may be of other than hexagonal shape.

The brace of the present invention is shown as a card-like strip or piece 36 of quite rigid fibre-board or other sheet material. I have found that .040 "Fiberlech willordinarily serve as a suitable material for the brace for use in cardboard flowerand hat boxes and the like. As shown in the drawing, one straight edge end 31 ofthe brace is set to the side wall I2 of the box body, and laid flat against one of the parts, 32, of the bottom ID; to which part 32 the brace is pasted or secured as by means of staples -or stitches 38. The attachment of the brace 36 to the bottom part 32 is preferably such'that there can be no rocking or other movement of the brace on such bottom part.

Beyond the bottom part 32, see Fig. 4, the brace 36 extends as a tongue, term nating at a free end or straight edge 39'. In the collapsed, Fig. 4, state of the box, the tongue portion of the brace extends upward and beyond the top edges of the side walls II and I2 of the box; that is to say, it will so extend beyond the top edges of the side walls when the width of the box from wall I I to wall I2 is greater than the height of the box.

In any event, the length of the brace from attached end 31 to free end 39 thereof is preferably the same as theinterior width of the box body, so that when the box is opened as in Fig. l, the free'edge 39 of the brace will bear against the inner face of side wall II, or serve as an abutment thereto. parts 3| and 32 of the box bottom have been swung into a common plane and when the brace, over the entire area of its under face, is in contact with the bottom parts 3| and 32.

I have described the brace as having its ends cut straight, to provide as great a bearing as possible on the straight side walls of the box. Within the scope of the invention, however, the ends of the brace may be shaped to have a lesser bearing on the side walls; and, if desired, but probably at the expense of some rigidity in box structure, the brace may not be set against the wall I2, but may have its end 31 at some distance from that wall. Again, if the wall II be other than straight, the end 39 of the brace will preferably be of corresponding shape.

In operation, after the box has been partly expanded from Fig. 4 condition toward Fig. 1 condition, the free end 39 of the brace will strike the inner face of side wall II of the box. Further expansion of the box by drawing apart the walls II and I2 will cause the free end 39 of the brace to slide down the face of wall II until the brace comes to home position flat against the board of the box may be somewhat warped or' sprung from correct shape.

I claim:

1. A collapsible box of cardboard or other sheet materiaL-comprising a bottom divided by a crease line into two parts folded one to the other in the collapsed state of the box but in a common plane in the set up state of the box, opposed walls, one hingably connected to each bottom part, a tough, rigid card unitary with the bottom part at one side of the box but protruding therefrom over the other of said bottom parts to the other side of the box when the box is in set up state; said card, in direction crosswise of said projection thereof, being of less width than the width of the box bottom in the set-up condition of the box, to serve as a handle piece whereby to rock that bottom part unitary therewith for collapse of the box.

2. A collapsible box of cardboard or other sheet material, comprising a bottom divided by a crease line into two parts folded one to the other in the collapsed state of the box but in a common plane in the set up state of the box, opposed walls, one hingably connected to each bottom part, a rigid member or brace secured permanently face to face to one of the bottom parts at one side of and within the box but protruding therefrom over the other of said bottom parts, in face to face contact with the latter, to the other side of the box when the box is in set up state.

This should be when the l the bottom at one side of the box but protruding the box.

therefrom over the other of said bottom parts to the other side of the box when the box is in set up state;' said card being narrower than the inside set-up width of the box to permit of finger grip on the card within the box for collapse of DAVID WEINER. 

